GATES OF DAWN - left

The Gates of Dawn is one of the most visited shrines in Vilnius that is famous not only in Lithuania but also abroad, worshipped by the representatives of other creeds too. This is the only surviving gate of the first original five gates in the city wall that was built between 1503 and 1522.The gates were first mentioned in 1514. At first the Gates of Dawn were called the Medininkai Gate, as it is on the road to Medininkai, in Polish Ostra Brama, the “Sharp Gate” because they were in the southern end of the city, which was called the Sharp. Later, due to the cult of the Virgin Mary they could be related to the sunrise, dawn.The painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, in the Chapel of the Gates of Dawn is known all over the world. Many churches in other countries have copies of this painting. The picture, which is also called “Vilnius Madonna”, was painted in 17th century.

Vaidoto art

VAIDOTO was born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1969. Until 2003 he was not involved in any kind of art creation, until one day he got lost in the woods during a bike tour. The night was long, so using a paper and a pencil, he found in the trunk of the bicycle, he created his first piece. The muza which visited him that evening have not went away anymore. Therefore, he continued to seek opportunities for artistic realization and attended various art classes: Loreta Mažeikaitė (art therapy), Dalia Gentvainytės (ceramic), Aistė Kirvelytė (painting), Inga Darguzyte (printmaking).The actual painting skills he acquired after coming to work and live in Belgium. Here, since 2010 he attends Cedric Vandenbossche painting classes at Academy of Fine arts in Mol.